Photo by Deb Gau Marshall community members, including local businesspeople and city officials, shared ideas and concerns with Minnesota Department of Transportation project manager Gene East on Tuesday. East was gathering feedback on reconstruction of Highway 19 in Marshall.

MARSHALL — Plans to reconstruct a major portion of Minnesota Highway 19 in Marshall are still coming together, representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation said Tuesday. However, that didn’t mean MnDOT was done gathering input from the public.

Around 40 community members, including Marshall businesspeople, took part in discussions about the highway project with MnDOT Tuesday morning at the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce. The sessions served both as an update on the planning process, and a way for local residents and businesses to share concerns about the construction.

“There are a lot of things to be determined,” said MnDOT Project Manager Gene East. However, East said MnDOT has been working on the preliminary design for the construction, and this spring they will present the Marshall City Council with recommendations for intersections affected by the project.

“We’re close to having what we think is the right recommendation,” East said.

MnDOT announced last fall that it plans to rebuild part of Highway 19 in Marshall in 2025. As College Drive, Highway 19 is one of the major roads through Marshall’s downtown.

“The project is from Fourth Street, on the south and west end, to Bruce Street on the north and east,” East said. The construction would not only rebuild the street, but replace sidewalks and utility lines beneath College Drive.

Because construction would have such a big impact on the heart of town, East said MnDOT was engaging Marshall area residents in the planning process. Both public meetings and an online survey were conducted back in October. East said MnDOT has also spoken with local emergency responders and schools about the planned construction.

Currently, the plan is to let bids for Highway 19 construction in 2024, East said. Detailed construction plans will be designed between 2021 and 2023.

During Tuesday’s meetings, local residents and businesspeople were asked to share their top priorities for what the construction should address, as well as potential challenges MnDOT should address.

Safety at intersections was a prominent concern for one group.

“One of the issues I hear is Whitney Street and College Drive, near the (True Light Christian) School,” said Marshall City Council member Russ Labat. Traffic lights at that intersection were removed years ago, which makes it hard now for pedestrians and school traffic to get through the intersection, Labat said.

Other intersections brought up in the discussion included Saratoga Street and West College Drive, where left turn lanes are narrow, and the intersection of West Marshall Street and East College Drive, where visibility is poor for traffic crossing College Drive.

East said the design of the historic bridge near the West Marshall/College Drive intersection can’t be changed, but other things about the intersection could possibly be changed. For example, other parts of the roadway could be changed to improve lines of sight, or West Marshall Street could be restricted to right-in, right-out traffic at the intersection.

“We do think we can take the risks way down,” he said.

Downtown businesspeople also raised questions about whether semi truck traffic should continue to pass through Marshall on College Drive and Main Street. It’s tough for semis to make turns at the Main/College intersection, and oversize loads like wind turbine parts also need a lot of space when passing through downtown, they said.

East said part of the difficulty in that situation was that trucks needed to use the trunk highway system. He said MnDOT does intend to meet with haulers to get their feedback.

In terms of challenges during the construction project, local residents said maintaining access to businesses was a concern. They also thought the Marshall National Guard Armory, which is located near the Highway 19/Fourth Street intersection, should be consulted about the construction plans.